NORFOLK, Neb. – The director of a program at Northeast Community College who educates students to be employed in a field where they are responsible for the management of systems that collect, store, process, retrieve, analyze, disseminate, and communicate medical information has been honored for her work by a state organization for professionals in the industry.
The Nebraska Health Information Management Association (NHIMA) presented Tina Mazuch, director/instructor of Health Information Management Systems (HIMS), with its Distinguished Member Award. The honor is presented to a NHIMA member who has made outstanding contributions to the Nebraska HIM Association.
Mazuch has over 20 years of healthcare experience, beginning as a pharmacy technician, to earning several Health Information Management credentials and degrees to now directing the HIMS department at Northeast.
In her role at Northeast, she coordinates the evaluation, assessment, and accreditation process of the HIMS program. Mazuch advises and assists students in selecting classes to complete their degree and develops and creates courses in the HIMS program to ensure student success. She advocates for students by reaching out to baccalaureate HIMS programs to encourage students to continue in their studies in health information management.
Hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities, health insurance companies, and government agencies are potential employers in both paper-based and computer-based patient record environments.
Mazuch has held leadership positions on the NHIMA board including serving as secretary from 2016-2018, moving to NHIMA President- Elect in 2017, culminating with the end of her Past-President role on the board in 2020. On the board, she led several initiatives such as creating the innovative credential lottery, advocating for student membership and engagement in the state organization. She served on the national level by serving on the Career Map Task Force, HIMR Task Force, HIMR Messaging Task Force, and Assembly on Education Room Monitor.
Mazuch was nominated for the Distinguished Member award by Gretchen Jopp, associate professor of Healthcare Business at Clarkson College.
“I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Tina on several occasions and I look forward to more,” Jopp said. “Tina is a kind, optimistic, smart, capable person, who has made an impact on the HIM profession that will be felt for generations to come.”
“I started my education at Northeast and transferred to College of St. Mary, which had the only accredited program at the time, to obtain my degree in HIM,” Mazuch said. “I think it is neat to have it come full circle that I now teach the program at Northeast.”
Mazuch was announced as the recipient of the recognition during the NHIMA annual conference.
NHIMA is a professional healthcare organization of approximately 500 members affiliated with the field of Health Information Management. It is a component state association of the American Health Information Management Association. The association is governed by a voluntary elected Board. Several committees and task forces assist the Board.
To learn more about the Health Information Management Systems program at Northeast Community College, visit northeast.edu/degrees-and-programs/health-information-management-systems.
--###--